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A mere two months ago when the Villa attacker found himself on the pitch at Sunderland, seeming perplexed while Unai Emery scolded him over failing to anticipate a through-ball. At that point, as Villa endured a six-game winless run, doubts remained whether his performances were a sign or a cause of the side's more general malaise.

“Following Rogers' second strike… Emery discarded his jacket, extended his arms, and let out a triumphant roar.”

This weekend, in contrast, the sideline response proved to be much more joyous. As the in-form star swept in his second strike to restore Villa's lead, the boss discarded his jacket, opened his arms and roared. The team marched on to ten wins in a row , having failed to win their initial half-dozen games, now sit just three points off table-toppers Arsenal.

Are They Legitimate Challengers?

This is a rather hard query to address. The historical record, the perceived status of Villa, suggests not. Furthermore, their performances haven't been entirely convincing during this run, while the wins have stacked up.

Per Opta, in only two games has the team had an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than their opponents. For a team that have strung together 10 in a row, they seem weirdly vulnerable – however currently the fine lines are swinging for them.

The Reliant Strategy

Their recent policy seems to be to exchange chances with rivals and wait for Rogers to rescue them with some clinical strikes. This occurred at Leeds, it happened against West Ham, and it happened against United.

Rogers' first goal stemmed from a brilliant finish, arced precisely inside the goal frame from the edge of the area. For his second proved to be a slight scruffier version of the opener as he seized on a pass from Watkins.

“Rogers’ right foot is now akin to Robben’s legendary left: forewarned does not mean forearmed, and stopping him is another matter entirely.”

Is It Sustainable?

Common sense dictates no. In the recent win, the opponents managed more shots and more efforts on goal. The team has won each of their last eight by a single goal. They have allowed goals in nearly all of those fixtures.

Regression to the mean may well be the biggest rival they must confront in the near future. The forward, in all likelihood, cannot keep on blasting the football into the net's top corner forever.

Reasons for Optimism

Perhaps there is another reality where, rather than luck running out, the level of play rises to match the results. Key players may yet return to peak condition.

• The main striker may begin to scoring again.
• The winger may rediscover the player he was at Borussia Dortmund.
• The defensive duo will eventually regain fitness, fortifying an occasionally vulnerable defensive unit.

Perhaps there is in that the potential of a genuine bid, yet it seems unlikely cannot keep relying on one man.

Enjoying the Ride

Yet, nobody expected this. Nobody thought the team would be third at Christmas. And most definitely two months ago, no one envisioned the young forward as the year closed would be spearheading a championship pursuit while establishing himself as a vital player for the national team.

This winning streak must be cherished for the very reason that it feels so unlikely. When the match-winner positioned himself before the North End after the match conducting the cheers, he appeared to be relishing every moment. As he deserves to. These runs of form are uncommon in the sport and should be relished.